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- DictionaryFifth col·umn/ˌfi(f)TH ˈkäləm/
noun
- 1. a group within a country at war who are sympathetic to or working for its enemies.
The meaning of FIFTH COLUMN is a group of secret sympathizers or supporters of an enemy that engage in espionage or sabotage within defense lines or national borders. Did you know?
A “fifth column” is a group which operates in secret, usually within enemy lines, in order to help further a cause which they secretly support. Origin of “Fifth Column” The term originated with Emilio Mola Vidal, a Nationalist general who served under Franco during the Spanish Civil War.
It was widely believed that a Nazi "Fifth Column" served as the advance force of the German military, paving the way for the invasion through propaganda and sabotage. US President Franklin D. Roosevelt took to the airwaves on May 26, 1940—before the French army had even surrendered—to criticize those who closed their eyes to what was ...
Jun 22, 2022 · UW News. The term fifth column refers to groups accused of working with hostile countries to damage the population or government of their home country. Pixabay. Fifth columns have appeared in countries around the world for centuries.
Jun 16, 2002 · In America, the term emerged out of a left-liberal campaign to link isolationist opponents of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's pre-Pearl Harbor foreign policy, which proposed to render every...
Fifth column definition: a group of people who act traitorously and subversively out of a secret sympathy with an enemy of their country.. See examples of FIFTH COLUMN used in a sentence.
FIFTH COLUMN definition | Cambridge English Dictionary. Meaning of fifth column in English. fifth column. noun [ C ] us / ˌfɪfθ ˈkɑː.ləm / uk / ˌfɪfθ ˈkɒl.əm / Add to word list. a group of people who support the enemies of the country they live in and secretly help them. Compare. Trojan horse. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases.
